Gift *giving and gift card research

This dissertation provides a conceptual model of gift selection by integrating the components, dimensions, and models of gift giving from past research and develops testable hypotheses on gift card purchase for future verification. Gift card research issues are identified under eight marketing disciplines. Relevant gift card research questions unresolved in these marketing disciplines are outlined and potential marketing applications to approach some of these issues are also included. Segmentation analysis is provided to enhance gift card managers' knowledge of current customers in the marketplace, which in turn allows for more efficient allocation of resources in targeting the customers. Gift card purchase decision analysis provides managers with mechanisms to develop specific strategic initiatives for driving purchases of each individual gift card category, brand, channel, and denomination. A choice model of gift alternatives or gift card alternatives is developed to understand the impacts of acquisition utility, exchange utility and giver and receiver time costs on the selection of gift alternatives. The hypotheses derived from preference evaluation among different gift or gift card alternatives are empirically tested to uncover the conditions under which one gift alternative is more attractive than the other.;The choice model of gift alternatives provides empirical evidence that the recipient's gift benefits such as value and appropriateness of the gift (acquisition utility) and giver's giving benefits from improving social relationship, likelihood of reciprocation and communicating personal feelings toward recipient (exchange utilities) are more important in driving gift choice decision. The choice model of gift card alternatives provides empirical evidence that the recipient's gift card benefits such as value, flexibility and appropriateness of the gift card (acquisition utility) and giver's giving benefits from improving social relationship, likelihood of reciprocation and communicating personal feelings toward the recipient (exchange utilities) are more important in driving gift card choice decision. The insights of this dissertation offer gift card marketers a better guidance on targeting gift card consumers and a greater opportunity to enhance giver and receiver utilities in gift giving practice in order to enhance business profitability.